All the Devils' hottest news, from notes to numbers to neutral-zone traps

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire is still hopeful that one of the team's injured players will join the team on the ice for the morning skate on Wednesday, but now he doesn't think any of them will be ready to play before next week.

Lemaire had said Monday that he at least one or "maybe two" of the injured players -- likely center Rob Niedermayer and left wing Jay Pandolfo -- would practice with the team today, but that didn't happen.

"I don't know what happened. Maybe tomorrow," Lemaire this afternoon after emerging from a lengthy meeting. "I was sure (one would practice) today, but things change. So, it just tells you that it won't be this week (that they will play)."

The Devils play three games in the next three and a half days. They will probably practice on Thanksgiving afternoon before flying to Boston for their noon game on Friday, but that won't be enough for an injured player who has been out for three weeks such as Niedermayer to get ready to play in a game.

"You have to have some practice before you get in a game," Lemaire said.

Lemaire is now holding out hope that at least one player will be ready to play next week. After Saturday afternoon's home game against the Islanders, the Devils are off until hosting Vancouver the following Wednesday. That break should provide plenty of practice time for Niedermayer and/or Pandolfo to get ready to play.

"Still hopeful," Lemaire said.

Even with no hope of injury reinforcements, Lemaire said the team would not call anyone else up from Lowell. The plan is to dress seven defensemen again Wednesday nigth against Ottawa, but this time Tyler Eckford will play wing and Matt Corrente, who played right wing Saturday in Dallas, will play defense.

Eckford played forward until he shifted to defense during his first year in junior. That factored into Lemaire's decision to try him at wing Wednesday.

"We talked, the coaches, and somebody told me that Eckford played forward in the past and I know how he can skate, so I said, 'Maybe it's not a bad idea,'" Lemaire said. "We'll give a chance to Corrente to play on defense."

Lemaire said he would still use Eckford at the power play point.

"We just want to see what he can do up front and we can use him on the power play too," Lemaire said. "That's the advantage."

If there is a postiive about the team having five injured regulars -- Niedermayer (upper body), Pandolfo (right shoulder), Dainius Zubrus (fractured right kneecap)., Paul Martin (fractured left foreamr) and Johnny Oduya (lower body) -- it's that it's giving the Devils a chance to look at their young players that they would not have had if everyone had remained healthy.

"We have to try these kids because we have the chance to tie them," Lemaire said. "It's what's happening right now that gives us the opportunity to try the kids, to play them more, see what they can do. Because as soon as the injured players will be back, there won't be any room for these kids. And we want to know what they can do.":

Lemaire explained that there is a positive to playing Corrente and Eckford at forward, even though that is not their regular position.

"Even if they don't play at their initial position, just playing is good for them: the competition and how quick it is," Lemaire said. "It's good for them. It's good experience."

Lemaire said defense is the most difficult of the skating positions and that wing is the easiest.

"If your position is a difficult position that you're playing and then you go play in an easier position, that will help your game," Lemaire said. "On the other hand, if you play a tougher position, then it gets hard. A defenseman will go up and he can play forward for a few games without doing any damage. It won't hurt him. But, if you're a defenseman and you're not ready for the NHL and you go on defense, you might hurt (his development)."

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.